Corletto Convicted of Second Degree Murder and Stabbing in the Commission of a Felony

CORLETTO CONVICTED OF SECOND DEGREE MURDER AND STABBING IN THE COMMISSION OF A FELONY

JURY FIXES SENTENCE AT FORTY-FIVE YEARS

LEESBURG, Virginia – February 24, 2016. A six day trial ended late yesterday afternoon with a jury finding Marco Corletto, 45, guilty of second degree murder and stabbing in the commission of a felony in the 2014 murder of Roxana Rico.

On the afternoon of May 16, 2015, Corletto repeatedly stabbed his estranged wife inside the stairwell of her Leesburg apartment building. Rico was transported by helicopter to the trauma center at INOVA Fairfax Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Corletto was located in front of Rico’s apartment building, with what appeared to be self-inflicted stab wounds to his left forearm. After being treated and released by medical personnel at a local hospital, Corletto was arrested and charged with Rico’s murder.

Over the course of the trial, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorneys Angela Vernail and Joshua Steward, constructed a case that included DNA evidence, jail calls, text messages, and witness testimony including scientific and medical experts.

During the sentencing phase of the proceedings, Steward presented additional evidence in the form of a prior conviction for domestic violence from New Jersey in 2006. Additionally, Rico’s mother and sister testified about the impact Rico’s death has had on them and her two minor children.

The jury deliberated during the sentencing phase for less than one half hour before returning a maximum sentence of forty years in prison for second degree murder and five years for the stabbing charge. The case will be back in Circuit Court again on June 10, 2016 where a final sentencing hearing will be conducted before the Hon. Douglas L. Fleming Jr. who presided over the multi-day trial.